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j UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

y JESSE A. EOwE, OF NORWALK, OHIO, ASSIGNOE OE ONE-THIRD To J. P.

LAWRENCE, OE SAME PLAGE.

POST-,OFFICE Box.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 273,992, dated March 13, 1883.

Application tiled October 7, 1882.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JESSE A. HOWE, of Norwalk,in the county of Huron and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boxes or Pigeon-Holes for Use in Post- Otfices; and'I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in boxes or pigeon-holes for use in post-offices, the same also being adapted for store-room fixtures or fittings, the object ofthe same being to provide a box so constructed as to prevent letters, postal-cards, or papers from lying flat, as is the case with the box ordinari] y used.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of this character which shall combine lightness, cheapness, and simplicity of construction with durability and efficiency in use.

With these ends in view my invention consists in certain features ot' construction and combinations of parts, aswill be hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims. In the accompanying drawings, Figure l-is a front elevation of a section of pigeonholes embodying Vmy improvement, the upper portion being shown as when used `for call-boxes, the lower portion thereof being shown as when used for lock-boxes, the door of one box being open. Fig. 2 is a .plan view of the frame. Fig. 3 is a detached view of `the hinge used in securing the door of a lock-box to the frame or side of the same.

The boxes are arranged in groups, each group being provided with a frame or case, A, the sides of which are so molded, grooved, or corrugated as to prevent any lateral movement or sliding` between the frames of any two or more series of boxes when set up and secured together. The top portion of each frame is provided at one end `with a hook, mand on the other end with an eye, b, for the purpose of removably securin g thereto the adjoining frames, the hook a being adapted to enter the eye on the frame adjoining on that side, and the eye b being adapted to receive thel hook on the frame nearest that side. This mode of attachment is preferable, in that it permits of the re- (No model.)

moval or addition of a section without the use or aid of nails or screws. The floor of the frame A may be provided with slits or grooves adapted to receive the lower sides of the boxes or apartments and hold them securely in position.

The boxes B B B are made of metal so crimped or bent as to'form openings of hexagon al shape and of any'desjred size, the edges of the boxes being joined or locked together.

When my improved device is used for callboxes, as shownA in the upper portion of Fig. l of the drawings, the frame of each series is provided with a glass face, C, which is remo'vably held in position by means of the usual securing devices. This glass face C is placed in position from the front side, thereby permitting it to be removed and replaced without interfering with other parts.

When my improvement is used for lockboxes, as shown in the lower portion of Fig. l of the drawings, doors D, preferably formed of pulp made from anydesired material, are hinged to the sides of the boxes B. These doors are provided with locks G, and also with open! ings for glass faces E, to enable a person or owner ofthe box to ascertain its contents without the trouble of opening. secured to the sides of the boxes bythe hinges F, said hinges being secured to the doors and Sides of the boxes in the ordinary manner. These hinges F fulfill a twofold function, `in that they serve the purpose of a hinge for the doors D, and in that they serve as a stop and strike for the door next adjoining. This latter'is effected by means of a projection., c, extending out from the stationary plate of the hinge; said projection cbeing made integral therewith, as shown in Fig. 3 of thedrawings.

Boxes made in accordance with my invention have many advantages over the Ordinary square box now in common use, as they serve to keep the contents from lying dat, thus enabling them to be handled more readily. They also economize space and furnish more available room than the square box, and bein g constructed of ,non-combustible material are less liable to be destroyed by re.

I do not limit the use of this device for` postofces alone, as it may beadvantageously used for.` store fittings or fixtures, and means `for The doors D are IOO packing bottles to prevent breakage in shipping or transportation. Neither do I contine myself to the hexagonal form of boxes, as they may be made to assume a heptagonal or other regular polygonal form.'

In view of the fact that many changes in the construction and relative arrangement of the different parts might be resorted to, I would have it understood that I do not limit myself to the exact construction shown and described, but consider myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as may fairly be considered to fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

I am aware that packing-boxes have been subdivided into polygonal compartments, and l do not claim such box.

, Having fully described my invention, what l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters v said group of boxes, and provided with devices by which it may be detachably locked edgewise to similar frames embracingsimilar groups, substantially as described. Y

2. The combination, with a series of adjacent boxes and their doors, of a hinge for each door provided with a lateral extending stop arranged to limit the inward movement of the free edge of an adjacent door, substantially as specified. V

3. A series vof groups of boxes inclosed in separate frames, having grooved interlocking sides, substantially as described.

JESSE A. Hown.

v Witnesses A. B. GRIFFIN, HENRY W. OWEN. 

